Content
White cabbage cannot be called an easy-to-care and picky crop. It reacts to some deviations of growing conditions from optimal and errors in care by “refusing” to form heads of cabbage. This way you can lose most or all of the harvest, so it is important to understand why exactly white cabbage does not set and what to do in each specific case.
When the cabbage starts to set
White cabbage begins to set at the stage of 6-7 true leaves. But the period of formation of heads of cabbage depends on the ripening time of a particular variety or hybrid:
- early ripening - 40-45 days from the moment the seedlings appear when growing seedlings or 15-18 after transplanting into open ground;
- mid-season - 60-65 days after seed germination or about a month from the moment of transplantation;
- late - 80-85 days after germination or approximately mid-August.
The gardener should be wary both when the plants are excessively “sluggish” and when they are clearly “fatten”
Why don't cabbage heads set?
In most cases, the fact that white cabbage does not set is the fault of the gardener himself, who chose the wrong place for the garden bed or made serious mistakes in care. But unfavorable weather conditions can also be a reason.
Poor quality seeds
Poor quality seeds not only demonstrate low germination. If seedlings do appear, they are noticeably behind in development; heads of cabbage do not set because the plants simply do not have enough strength.
Poor quality seeds in some cases are the result of “cross-pollination” of white cabbage with other plants from the Cruciferous family. In such “hybrids” the heads of cabbage are not tied in principle.
Also, the poor quality of seeds may be due to their expiring shelf life. The experience of gardeners shows that after 2-3 years of storage, their germination rate is significantly reduced, weak seedlings of white cabbage are formed, and the plants do not set heads.
To avoid problems with the quality of seeds, they should be purchased only where the seller can provide a certificate of conformity for the product
Late sowing
Each plant has its own period of active growing season, “oriented” to the climate and weather in a particular region. If you are late with sowing the seeds of white cabbage, and, accordingly, with planting them in the ground, it is very likely that the cabbage will not set heads - they simply do not have enough time for this.
The optimal timing also depends on the ripening time. In central Russia, seedlings are planned to be planted at:
- 04-05.05 (early varieties and hybrids);
- 15-30.05 (mid-season);
- 05-05.06 (mid-late and late).
Bad landing site
White cabbage is quite demanding regarding cultivation conditions. If they don’t suit her, she most likely won’t get involved. The location for the garden bed is selected taking into account the following criteria:
- good lighting;
- fertile but fairly loose substrate;
- neutral or close to this pH;
- absence of prerequisites for water stagnation at the roots.
Lack of light in beds with white cabbage is a guarantee of its “refusal” to set
Improper watering
White cabbage is an extremely moisture-loving crop; when there is a shortage of water, it does not grow. In extreme heat, the water needed by plants actively evaporates from the surface of the leaf blades.
Therefore, it is necessary to irrigate not only the substrate, but also the rosettes themselves. Also, in order for white cabbage to set heads, it is very useful to increase the air humidity.
Regular watering is extremely important. When a gardener waters the garden bed very generously in between long “droughts,” the heads of white cabbage, even if they set, crack during the ripening process.
The culture is also not satisfied with excessively abundant and/or frequent watering. White cabbage reacts to constant waterlogging of the soil by rotting its roots. Obviously, heads of cabbage will not set on such plants.
Sprinkling watering white cabbage, unlike many garden crops, does not harm
Lack of light
White cabbage is one of the most light-loving garden crops. The optimal length of daylight for her is 14-16 hours.During all this time, plants need bright but diffused light. It does not tie even when planted in partial shade. The only assumption is very light shading during the hottest time of the day.
Acidic soil
White cabbage categorically does not tolerate acidified soil: at a pH above 6.5, its root system practically does not develop, the growth of seedlings is “inhibited,” and the leaves become very small. Obviously, in such unfavorable conditions it does not start.
Planting density
Undesirable shadow is created not only by taller plants and other “obstacles”, but also by overly thickened plantings of white cabbage. If there is crowding in the garden bed, it also does not grow, since the leaves of plants shading each other become very small.
To avoid it, you must follow the recommended planting pattern. It is different for each variety or hybrid and varies depending on the size of the adult rosettes.
If the garden bed is too crowded, white cabbage will not set due to lack of nutrients.
Weather
White cabbage loves light, but not extreme heat. The optimal temperature for its growth, at which heads of cabbage are set, is 17-20 °C. If it rises above 27-30 °C, plant development freezes.
Micronutrient deficiency
In order for white cabbage to set, it needs a large amount of nutrients. What exactly it lacks can be judged by the appearance of the plants:
- potassium (white cabbage does not set, despite the large leaves, they gradually acquire a pink-purple tint, then turn yellow);
- phosphorus - leaves turn yellow and dry out along the edges and along the veins;
- calcium - the leaves turn black and die, white cabbage stops developing and does not set;
- boron - the leaves are very small, as if “rusty”, the heads of cabbage are “loose”;
- molybdenum - the head of cabbage is very soft, the leaves seem to crumble into dust.
When white cabbage sets, it is most sensitive to potassium deficiency
Diseases and pests of cabbage
There are quite a lot of diseases in which white cabbage does not set. This symptom is characteristic, first of all, of clubroot. Plants wither, turn yellow, and ugly “tumors” form on the roots.
The clubroot pathogen remains viable in the soil for 4-6 seasons
Also, heads of cabbage do not set in severe cases of powdery mildew, fusarium, or mucous bacteriosis. Even if they form, the crop is unsuitable for food.
Pests that feed on the tissues and juice of white cabbage can damage the growing point. Accordingly, she is no longer able to tie herself into a head of cabbage.
Most often it affects:
- cabbage moth - the greatest damage to the crop is caused by its caterpillars, which eat away, first of all, the core of the rosette;
Cabbage moth caterpillars are very voracious; in 2-3 days they eat leaves to the point of a “skeleton” of veins.
- cruciferous flea beetle;
The cruciferous flea beetle quickly turns leaves into a “sieve”
- stem stalker;
You can “track” the path of the stem stalker by the brownish “stripes” along the veins
- cabbage aphid.
Aphids not only suck juice from leaf blades, but also spread spores of some fungi that are dangerous to the crop.
The appearance of several heads of cabbage
Most often, several small heads of cabbage are tied instead of one large one if the main growing point of white cabbage is damaged. As a result, the reserve ones located in the axils of the leaves are “activated.”
What to do if the cabbage does not set
If white cabbage “refuses” to set due to errors in agricultural technology, it is necessary to provide the plants with proper care. It is enough to normalize watering or add the necessary fertilizing.
If the choice of planting site is unsuccessful, transferring white cabbage to a new bed is no longer advisable. The only thing that remains for the gardener is to provide her with the highest quality care. They do the same if it does not tie due to unfavorable weather conditions. In these cases, “support” with biostimulants will also be useful.
In the process of preparing the beds, it is imperative to find out the acid-base balance of the soil. If this moment is missed, “deoxidizers” can be added to the soil during the season. But such an “emergency measure” does not guarantee that white cabbage will begin to set.
It is impossible to make a mistake about soil acidity using special “indicators”
A set of preventive measures will help minimize the risk of disease infection and pest attacks:
- choosing a place for a garden bed taking into account the requirements of the culture;
- cleaning the area from plant and other debris;
- deep digging of the soil in the fall;
- taking into account the principles of crop rotation;
- compliance with the planting scheme optimal for a given variety or hybrid;
- proper care during the season;
- timely weeding and loosening;
- Regular inspection of plants to identify problems at an early stage.
How to speed up head setting
To make heads of white cabbage begin to set more actively, you can use folk remedies:
- Yeast. The briquette (100 g) and unnecessary jam (500 g) are poured with warm water (10 l) and left for several days in a dark place under a tightly closed lid for fermentation. After the characteristic smell appears, a glass of liquid is diluted in 10 liters of water and watered over white cabbage, using a liter of fertilizer on the plants. The procedure is repeated no more than once every 3-4 weeks.
- Manure and wood ash. About 500 g of fresh manure and 50 g of sifted wood ash are poured into 10 liters of water and left for several days, allowing the excess ammonia to “dissipate”. Before use, filter and dilute with water in a ratio of 1:2. Fertilizing is carried out after abundant watering. The norm is a glass per plant, frequency is once every three weeks.
- Boric acid. Powder (2 g) is diluted in a liter of hot water until dissolved and 9 liters of cold water are added and sprayed on the plants. After 7-10 days the treatment is repeated.
- Tying leaves into a “bun”. No “aids” are required. When at least 12 leaves are formed in the rosette, they are collected into a “bun” and secured with fabric tape or a wide soft elastic band. This method of speeding up the setting of heads of cabbage is used mainly in hot weather.
The action, at first glance, is strange, but moisture is retained much better in such a “bundle.”
Any purchased biostimulants provide the desired effect. The preparations Epin, Heteroauxin, and Kristalon are popular among gardeners. They are used in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Many biostimulants not only activate the process of setting heads of cabbage, but also have a positive effect on their taste and keeping quality.
Conclusion
Having discovered that white cabbage does not set, although the plants have already reached the appropriate stage of development, it is necessary to find out as quickly as possible what reason provoked this phenomenon. There are a lot of ways to save the harvest, but the measures taken directly depend on why the white cabbage does not set. There are also methods for “activating” the process; both folk remedies and commercial biostimulants will be effective.
